This Week in Climbing #47 (December 18, 2016)

Here’s all of the best and most interesting rock climbing stuff that happened over the last week. Enjoy, and happy climbing!

Climbing News

AMERICAS

• Canada
  • Luke Zimmerman Sends V13 on Cold West Coast at Gripped
  • Venom and Antifreeze are New West Coast Mixed/Ice Lines at Gripped
• USA
  • Israeli Sender Alex Khazanov Flashes Mandala V12 at Gripped
  • Anna Liina Laitinen Sends Southern Smoke (5.14c), RRG at Rock & Ice (See also Gripped.)
  • Clark County Sues Save Red Rock Conservation Organization at Climbing
  • And the 2017 Mugs Stump Winners Are… at Alpinist
  • Steve “Manboy” Townshend Sends New 5.14 at Red Rocks at Gripped

ASIA

• Nepal
  • Mountaineering: Hansjörg Auer and Alex Blümel breach unclimbed North Face of Gimmigela East in Nepal at Planet Mountain
• South Korea
  • Jongwon Chon Continues Sending Streak with Second New V15 at Rock & Ice

EUROPE

• Austria
  • Hochbirghöhe: new ice and mixed climb in Austria’s High Tauern at Planet Mountain
• France
  • Rotatornator: New Route on Tour Ronde by Helliker and Macdonald at UK Climbing (See also Gripped.)
• Iceland
  • Albert Leichtfried and Benedikt Purner discover new ice climbs in Iceland at Planet Mountain
• Italy
  • Pleishornwasserfall, new ice climb on Ortler North Face at Planet Mountain
  • Stefano Ghisolfi Climbs New 5.14d in Arco at Gripped
• Slovenia
  • Janja Garnbret Sends New 5.14 in Slovenia at Gripped
• Spain
  • Canadian Elan Jonas McRae Sends Ciudad de Dios 5.14d/15a at Gripped

Climbing Tips

• Rock Cleaning Made Easy at Rock & Ice
• Ask the Master: Climber Commands at Rock & Ice
• What To Do When Your Teeth Get Knocked Out Because You Fell Clipping With the Rope in Your Mouth by Steph Davis

Other Climbing Articles

• Graffiti at the Crags at The American Alpine Institute Blog
• Climbing Fashion Through the Ages at Climbing
• The Best Fake Climbing News 2016 at Evening Sends

Destinations and Routes

• Tom Ballard talks Titanic and the Eiger North Pillars at UK Climbing
• Joshua Tree Redux at Splitter Choss
• Going for the Long Burn in Red Rock – 93,000,000 Miles (IV, 5,7, 2,600′) at The American Alpine Institute Blog

Good New Climbing Videos

• ORBAYU [full movie] a climbing Odyssey with Nina Caprez and Cédric Lachat [26:55] – A great longer film documenting Cedric Lachat’s and Nina Caprez’s efforts to climb a 13-pitch 8c (5.14b) in Spain.
• Chinese ‘Spider’ Climbers Use No Ropes or Tools to Scale Cliffs [2:26] – Chinese villagers solo big cliffs to reach medicinal herbs.
• A Linear Life [5:12] – Climber and mom Mary Harlan talks about her close brush with death and how the various aspects of her life fit into climbing.
• How To Rainbow Rocket – The hardest dyno I’ve ever done (8a/V11) [1:06] – A V11 dyno problem. Cool!
• Ofer Blutrich “Tour de Force” 8a, Nezer cave, Israel [3:00] – An extremely steep 8a (5.13b) sport route in Israel.
• Placing Ice Screws [6:17] – A video fromt he AMGA about the best way to place ice screws.
• An Epic Yosemite Moderate Linkup [4:50] – Mark and Janelle Smiley climb the “Tuolumne Triple,” a linkup of classic moderate routes in Yosemite’s Tuolumne Meadows area.
• Basin and Range Unscripted: Gareth Leah [4:57] – An artsy look at New York City’s urban bouldering.
• Colins First Climb [5:21] – “Colin Goodey is a legend of the North Wales climbing scene [and] has been climbing for more than 70 years… Colin has been diagnosed with a terminal illness and having been told by the doctors to “do what he can now” he wanted to do one last climb. This film follows him as he repeats the route he first climbed aged 10 years old, the route where it all began.”
• The Lifeline Project [3:09] – Pete Kamitses works a 5.14 trad route in New York’s Adirondacks.
• Worlds Most Extreme Christmas Tree!! (Ancient Art, Moab UT) [3:03] – Climbers turn Moab’s iconic Ancient Art summit into a Christmas tree.
• Sandstone & Snow: Colter Colter Hinchliffe and Tim Durtschi Discover Moab [11:59] – A skiier heads to Moab and finds himself climbing.
• Deep Throat [8:37] – Josh Wharton attempts Deep Throat (WI5–6 M7), a notorious three-pitch mixed line in Glenwood Canyon, Colorado. Such a good video.

People, Interviews, and Profiles

• The NGO Bringing Rock Climbing to Peru at Climbing
• Eiger North Face / Tom Ballard Titanic interview at Planet Mountain
• New Dawn: Adam Ondra’s Groundbreaking Ascent of the Dawn Wall at Climbing
• PODCAST – Ines Papert on Kyzyl Asker at UK Climbing

Gear, Reviews, etc.

• Gear You Ought to Know: A Review of Metolius Ultralight Master Cams at Moja Gear
• Roadworthy – Our Top Travel Gear at Rock & Ice
• Review: Awesome Woodys Cliff Board Mini at Vertical Life
• Climbing Holiday Gift Guide: La Sportiva Skwama Climbing Shoe at Climbing